Slippery roads bring crashes

Columbia Valley RCMP report on notable calls for the weekend of January 14.

January 14

• A Columbia Valley detachment officer was on the side of the road when a GMC pickup drove by at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was followed and continued to move at the same speed, regardless of the lower speed limit zone it had entered. The vehicle was stopped and the driver displayed signs of being impaired. A breath demand was given. The driver blew a high reading and has been charged with impaired driving, driver over .08 as well as driving without a driver’s licence. The vehicle was also not insured. The male will be appearing in Invermere provincial court in the near future.

• Columbia Valley detachment members responded to a domestic assault in the area of the 1000 block 8th Avenue. A 26 year-old female was located with multiple injuries as well as shattered glass resulting from being pushed against a wall. The injuries were treated. A 38 year-old male was arrested and charged with assault as well as breach of conditions — the male was not to have any contact with the female.

• Columbia Valley detachment responded to a single vehicle accident on Highway 93/95 at the Sholinder and McKay gravel pit at 2:35 p.m. A 2005 Pontiac Pursuit was south bound when the 24 year-old driver lost control and put the vehicle in the ditch. The driver is charged with travelling at too fast a speed for the road conditions.

• Columbia Valley detachment responded to a complaint of hit and run when a third party witnessed a vehicle backing into a Toyota Celica parked in the area of 519 13th Street. Police were able to obtain the plate of the offending vehicle to follow up with the investigation. The investigation is continuing.

January 15

• RCMP responded to a two vehicle accident at the second look out on Radium Hill at 12:30 p.m. A Ford Ranger driven by 76 year-old male was headed south, when the driver lost control while trying to avoid sheep. The vehicle collided with a Ford F350 pick up with snow plow in the northbound lane. The Ranger spun out and went down a steep embankment. Radium fire and ambulance responded to the scene. The driver of the Ranger received minor  injuries.

• The Columbia Valley detachment, along with fire rescue and ambulance, attended to the top of Radium Hill as a result of a collision with a Ridge Line Coach bus driven by a 46 year-old driver from Banff.  A  2003 Ford Taurus driven by a 45 year-old female from Calgary was north bound when it  lost control.  The Ford fish tailed and drove into the oncoming lane, in front of the southbound bus, which did not contain any passengers. The driver of the bus attempted to avoid the collision by driving as far right as possible, resulting in the bus entering the ditch to the right. The Ford collided with the front of the bus. Emergency workers on scene attended to the driver of the Ford but all attempts failed to revive the driver.

• The adult male who was previously charged with breaking and entering and sexual assault was recently arrested and held in custody due to failing to abide by his curfew.  The male was held in custody and was to appear for a bail hearing January 17 in Cranbrook. If released, he will continued to be monitored by police via curfew checks.

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